Our take: Bob Casey Jr. for U.S. Senate

Did U.S. Sen. Robert Casey Jr., D-Pa., really help keep Harley-Davidson in York, as his re-election campaign claims?

Well, in that regard he wasn't exactly Sen. Hero. But neither was he Sen. Zero, as Republican challenger Tom Smith has tagged Mr. Casey for a perceived lack of productivity.

Sen. Casey met with company and union officials, trying to broker a deal that would dissuade Harley from moving the plant down South. In the end, utter calamity was averted and Harley operations remain here, but with fewer full-time jobs, more "casual" workers and many union concessions. The company got a $15 million grant to stay here - but that came from the state, not the feds.

So, we'll fact-check that claim as mostly true - with the senator working behind the scenes in his typically low-key manner to help York County.

That's Sen. Casey's MO. He's not flashy - like Sen. Toomey's firebrand conservatism. Or even like the late Sen. Arlen Specter who was, let's face it, a bit of an egotist.

Sen. Casey is a sensible centrist - a hard-working guy whose ideology fits with that of many moderate York countians'. In that positive sense, he is like Sen. Specter.

Here's an example of his nuts-and-bolts humility: Asked which vote presented the toughest choice for him over the last term, his response was not an obvious or boilerplate political answer.

Advertisement

It was, well, boilers - a measure where he voted to give businesses that operate boilers more time to comply with environmental regulations.

He's a pragmatic guy - wanting to protect the environment in a way that doesn't hurt businesses and destroy jobs.

Compare that with the old king coal campaign of Tom Smith - a coal company operator. He would slash environmental protections at a time when global warming is among our greatest perils.

The Republicans have portrayed their candidate as a "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" story - the common man, the outsider, fighting evil Washington insiders. But Tom Smith is not Jimmy Stewart. He's an extremist on a number of issues - including abortion, where he is a no-exceptions adherent, having bizarrely compared a pregnancy resulting from rape with having a child out of wedlock.

Sen. Casey has tagged Mr. Smith as "Tea Party Tom," and that moniker seems to fit better than the Sen. Zero criticism.

No, Sen. Casey doesn't have any signature legislation with his name on it.

And yes, he might have inflated his role in saving Harley just a wee bit for the sake of a campaign.

But he is a hard worker who understands how to operate in a political body that is complex and difficult to maneuver - and the Senate isn't going to change because of tea party temper tantrums and demands to recklessly slash and burn the government (or because of untoward pulls from the left).

Sen. Casey is a better choice than the inexperienced Mr. Smith.

Meeting with our editorial board recently, Mr. Casey talked from the heart about wanting to bridge partisan divides to solve the serious problems facing our nation. Watch a complete video of that session at yorkblog.com/ydrpolitics.

A centrist, pro-life Democrat is in a better position to bridge those divides than the far-right Mr. Smith.

Candidate videos

Watch the YDR editorial board's interview with the candidates in this race at yorkblog.com/ydrpolitics. Click on "Candidate interview videos" in the black bar at the top of the page.

ODESSA, Texas (AP) — A West Texas man has been charged with impersonating an officer by using sirens and flashing lights to skip to the head of the drive-thru line at a fast-food restaurant. Full Story